The European Union, most of its member states individually, Britain and Canada denounced yesterday, in a joint statement, the possible commission of "war crimes or crimes against humanity" in Sudan, where a war has been raging between the regular army and paramilitaries for almost the last three years.
"We condemn in the strongest possible terms the horrific violence committed against civilians, especially women and children, and all serious violations of international law," said a statement with 31 signatures published by the European Commission in Brussels.
Since mid-April 2023, a brutal power struggle has been ongoing between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries. Both sides are accused of countless atrocities.
These violations "may constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity and must be investigated promptly and impartially," according to the joint statement.
The text was signed by the foreign ministers of 24 of the 27 EU member states, Canada, Britain, Iceland, Norway and New Zealand, the European Commissioner and the head of the Swiss humanitarian agency.
"We urgently reiterate our call on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitary groups allied with them to immediately cease hostilities," the joint statement added.
Five days ago, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights accused the paramilitaries of committing “war crimes and possible crimes against humanity.”
Yesterday, the joint statement condemned the "serious escalation of recent drone attacks and airstrikes" targeting civilians, health and humanitarian personnel.
The Darfur and Kordofan regions "remain the epicenter of the worst humanitarian crisis" in the world, the text recalls.
The war in Sudan has claimed the lives of tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people, while uprooting more than 14 million people, turning them into internally displaced persons and refugees.
